


Take a chance with me

by silversurfer60



Category: Broadchurch, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Pete's World (Doctor Who), Sad with a Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 21:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29740359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silversurfer60/pseuds/silversurfer60
Summary: After getting back home, Rose Tyler returns to her new world with The Doctor's clone but he becomes very ill.  They try to save him and Rose uses the cannon to contact his twin.  She finally gets through but even he can't save his brother.  As consolation, he tells her she will meet someone in the coastal town of Broadchurch as he has learned Alec Hardy looks like them both.
Relationships: Alec Hardy/Rose Tyler, Tenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It is assumed that readers know the plot of 'The Stolen Earth' and 'Journey's End' but this chapter doesn't follow the last episode too closely.

Rose Tyler had desperately tried to contact The Doctor when the cannon project starts working and she finally gets it right after a few close calls. When they are caught up in the deadly plan of Davros, she finds her mother and Mickey have followed her. 

"Mum, I said not to follow me," she told Jackie, who had her hands up after being transmatted from the depths of the Dalek ship.

"How could I stay behind?" Jackie replied. "I just followed Mickey. If he was coming, then so was I."

"This is all very touching," Jack didn't like being left out of things, making the Doctor pull a face. "So, what have we here?"

"Silence!" Davros commanded at the interruptions, Martha also having arrived.

Then they all stopped suddenly as a familiar yet impossible noise interrupted them.

"What?" The Doctor was as equally surprised as anyone.

Then to everyone's surprise, another version of The Doctor came running out of The Tardis, which was thought to have been lost with poor Donna onboard but another him has grown out of The Doctor's spare hand, with a little help from a puzzled Donna.

The duplicate Doctor came to a stop and crumpled in a heap, losing the object he was carrying, which prompted Donna to take his place. Davros seemed unfazed and sent a jolt of blue lightening in her direction, Donna landing by a console but no-one noticed the glazed look in her eyes.

"Great," The Doctor complained as his twin was placed in the same holding cell as he and Rose were being held.

"Yeah, nice try," Jack agreed. "So now there's two of you?"

"I said silence," Davros reminded them.

They all stood in silence as the mad Dalek creator ordered the weapon he planned on wiping out everything not of Dalek origin to be made ready but Donna had realised something had happened when the new Doctor had formed out of that hand. She had got some of it back and it was telling her which buttons to press as she turned a dial and the Daleks were going out of control.

"Seems your little plan went wrong then?" Jack quipped.

"Hold on, didn't Jack die?" Rose decided to ask.

"I'll explain it later," The Doctor promised.

"Well don't you lot stand there," Donna was grinning. "You two skinny boys in suits, get to work."

While Rose, Jackie, Martha and Sarah-Jane were pushing confused, spinning Daleks down various tunnels, Jack and Mickey were gathering the weapons they'd lost, Mickey holding Davros at bay after Donna had zapped him. Jack fired at the Dalek who was furious all the others on the other deck were spinning in all directions and had gone to find out why.

Jack had just disposed of the intruder but not before the console the two Doctors were using to send all the planets Davros was using as an 'engine' for his reality bomb was hit.

"Just one planet left and guess which one?" The Doctor complained. "I have an idea," he then grinned, fusing two wires together with his sonic screwdriver while his twin was flipping switches as well as his untameable hair.

"So, how come there's two of ya?" Rose wanted to know.

Donna knew the answer to that and put her arms around the two of them.

"So, some of it got back into me," she informed them after they just looked at her.

"You finish up here," The Doctor told his twin as he rushed towards the Tardis.

"Doctor," the mad Dalek called Dalek Cahn taunted the new Doctor. "You must destroy everything that is Dalek, I have foreseen it."

"Don't listen to him," Davros warned.

"He's right," the new Doctor realised. "Even without the reality bomb, they can still destroy the Cosmos."

He started flipping more switches before Donna could stop him.

"Hold on, wait for The Doctor," she tried to tell him.

"I am The Doctor," he reminded her, the grin now faded.

"Donna's right, you should wait," Rose agreed.

She reached out to him but he shrugged her off. Then suddenly, Daleks everywhere were exploding and turning to dust, which warned the Doctor who was working in his ship.

"What are you doing?" he asked his new twin.

"Fulfilling a prophecy," came the reply.

"I can't believe you're doing this," he told his twin. "Quickly, everyone in the Tardis – NOW!" he shouted above the noise.

Well Jackie didn't need telling twice, he noticed as his twin ran ahead of her and started naming everyone to make sure everyone had heard. The Doctor was relieved they would just have time to escape before the whole thing exploded.

"Davros," he called from the Tardis doorway. "Come with me."

"What?" his twin called from the centre console. "He was about to destroy everything in creation and you want to save him?" 

"That's the difference between us," he replied, seeing Davros was pointing a finger at him.

"You, Doctor, are the destroyer of worlds," the mad creator warned.

"Yeah, says the madman who was about to wipe everything that wasn't Dalek out," the twin shouted back.

The Doctor sprang back as everything was burning and closed the doors behind him.

"Right, let's get out of here," he decided as he joined his twin, never looking at him though.

He was wondering how to tow the Earth back to its original orbit when Sarah-Jane came up with the answer and Jack called his team in Cardiff to help boost the power. Before they knew it, everyone with the exception of Jackie had taken a place at the console and been given a job to do.

"What about me?" Jackie had asked as the Doctor had put his hands on her shoulder and gone past her.

"Leave it Mum," Rose called to her as she was watching the new Doctor with interest, wondering if he had anything in common with his twin, since he'd just destroyed the Daleks again without given them a choice.

She knew the other Doctor was hiding his disappointment with the newly created clone. The Doctor noticed and went to stand next to her, pulling the monitor closer as he noticed Gwen Cooper.

"No, it can't be?" Rose stared as well.

"What's wrong?" a puzzled Gwen was wondering.

"Gwen Cooper. Tell me, do you come from an old Cardiff family?" The Doctor asked her.

"Yes, all the way back to the 1800s," she answered, still no wiser.

Rose and The Doctor smiled at each other, getting a stare from his twin.

"She's not going to leave him, is she?" Martha nudged him after seeing the look on his face.

The clone just sniffed and pretended he wasn't bothered but he was. It now physically hurt to see the love of his lives smiling lovingly at his twin.

"Leave it Martha," he told her. "It's her choice."

"Doctor, I know how your twin or whatever he is pined after her, remember?" she reminded him. "So don't give me the excuse you don't care. Just tell her, you idiot."

Just then, as Donna was wandering around watching everyone, she pulled him back.

"Martha's right. You should do something about it, Dumbo," she told him. "She'll want to stay but you have to go back with her, she belongs in the other world now."

"Really?" he replied, folding his arms and seeing the two of them laughing over something.

"She's taken the trouble to come and find you, don't disappoint her," Donna reminded him. "Do you want to stay here, without her? Well?"

The clone stood back against the railing, stubbing the toe of his Converse shoe on the grating. What would Rose be wanting with a copy of the man she loved?

"You're just as bad as he is then," Donna scolded him as she watched him.

They all felt a jolt as the Tardis let the invisible tow-rope go and they all started cheering and grabbing hold of each other. Donna got jealous that Sarah-Jane was taking too long hugging Jack and parted them and the new Doctor let go of Martha, seeing Rose and his twin step to one side.

"See, I knew we could do it," Rose was saying.

"Yes, we did. So, just how did you get here?" The Doctor asked her.

"Same principal as before, just a smaller device," Rose replied. "Anyway, I won't be needing it any more, will I?" she grinned.

"Rose, you can't stay," The Doctor warned her.

"What ya mean?" Rose wanted to know.

"I told you, you were on the list of the missing, that's not the problem though. Remember what happened with The Reapers?" he asked, sending a chill through Rose.

"Well, this is different, isn't it?" she then asked. She saw he was serious. "That's not fair Doctor."

"I'm sorry Rose but you have to face it. Besides, you belong with your family. Did your mother marry Pete?" he asked.

"Yeah, at least one thing was put right," Rose told him. "What about me though?"

"You never made up with mister Mickey then?" The Doctor smiled as Mickey was talking to Martha.

"We're still friends, that'll never change," Rose admitted.

"Rose, you can still have what you want you know?" he reminded her. "I had no idea my twin was going to be created but think about it?"

"What do ya mean?" Rose began to realise what he was getting at.

"Go talk to him," he encouraged her. "How do you think he's feeling?"

Sarah-Jane had felt sorry for the new Doctor and had gone to him.

"So, how does this work then?" she smiled at him. "It was a bit unexpected."

"Tell me about it," was the reply. "Blame Jack, he rescued the hand I lost and gave it back to my twin. Then Donna touched it as the Tardis was on fire in the depths of the Dalek ship and wham! There I was."

"Oi, spaceman," Donna interrupted them. "I got a shock as well you know? So, what happened to me, is it permanent?" 

"Yes, I'm afraid so," he replied. "I think I should talk to Rose."

"He's still clueless," Donna told Sarah-Jane as he went off, having seen the other Doctor go to land the Tardis back on Earth.

He still had good hearing and saw Rose alone as Jackie talked with Mickey.

"I'm staying behind," Mickey had decided.

"But ya can't," Jackie had covered her mouth.

"I'm gonna miss you most of all. Thanks for looking after my gran," Mickey told her.

"She was family," Jackie replied. "How are ya gonna tell Rose?"

"It's best I just leave Jackie," he told her sadly as The Doctor danced around the console flipping switches like he'd always done.

Rose had been caught by the new Doctor.

"You're avoiding me Rose," he told her as he leaned on one of the struts.

"He just told me I can't stay," Rose replied.

"He did?" she was asked although he'd an idea that was the problem.

Of course she wanted to stay otherwise why had she gone looking?

"Yeah and it's not fair," she complained.

"Maybe he thinks you belong with your mother?" the new Doctor suggested.

"I expect so? He should have given me the choice though," Rose told him. "What about you?"

"Ah. Well. I guess he'll want to keep me with him to make sure I don't destroy anything else?" he half laughed.

"That was all you could do, Doctor. What were ya supposed to do? Just let them try again?" Rose wanted to know.

"He thinks I'm dangerous," he told her. "No wandering off for me, at least for a while."

"I still don't know why I can't go with ya?" Rose replied.

The Tardis had landed and Martha was talking to Jack when The Doctor interrupted them.

"So, Martha. Going back to UNIT?" Jack was asking her. "Find something else to do, where you can be a real doctor."

"Jack's right," The Doctor joined in, seeing his twin close to Rose.

What was he going to do about his clone? Should he insist they travelled together, just the two of them? It was only right Rose went back to Pete's world, it was now too dangerous to let her stay. Beside the Reapers wanting to remove her, he himself was trying to avoid a prophecy coming true, which meant he was going to have to avoid a situation that resulted in him regenerating.

He didn't want Rose to witness him changing again but his twin would do no such thing, he would remain the same and age in the normal way, the same rate as Rose. So, that gave him an idea but he had to make it look like he didn't want his clone to stick around to avoid infuriating him and being accused of not caring. Sarah-Jane was about to leave and walked up to him.

"I'm glad we could meet again Doctor," she told him, going to hug him.

"What are you going to do?" he asked her.

"Get on with my life," she smiled. "I have Luke to look after now, he's only fourteen."

"He seems a fine boy," the Doctor smiled back. "Look out for me."

"I will. Look after yourself, Doctor."

Jack and Martha were arm in arm as they went to say goodbye, Jack mock saluting the new Doctor.

"Martha, get rid of that device eh?" The Doctor urged her.

"Yeah, I will. Take care and thanks Doctor," she replied, putting her arms around him.

Mickey was next, seeing Rose was otherwise occupied.

"You're leaving?" The Doctor asked him as he tried to sneak past.

"Yeah, there's nothing back there for me, especially Rose," Mickey told him. "My gran passed away, nice and peaceful a while ago. At least I was there for her this time, even though she always thought I was Ricky."

"I always said you were called Ricky," The Doctor laughed, pretending to push him.

He watched Mickey run after Jack and Martha, whom he'd seen eyeing each other and hoped they'd get together at some point. That left Rose and Jackie to take home and to get his clone to agree to his plan.

"Time for one more trip then," he announced as Jackie looked tired.

"Are ya taking us home?" she asked him.

"Well as near as I can," he replied as he set the co-ordinates. "You know my driving?"

"Yeah, last time I ended up in another universe," Jackie laughed. "Still, I have a good life now, no more strugglin' and I have Pete back, I can't complain." Then she turned to the new Doctor. "I was pregnant, remember?"

"Yeah. So what did you have?" the clone seemed to brighten up, having got nowhere with Rose.

"A boy," Jackie beamed. "I wanted to call him Doctor."

"Really?" the clone asked.

"No ya plum. He's called Tony, oh, are we gonna land just after we left?" she turned to the other Doctor. "Only Tony's at nursery, Pete will have to pick him up."

"It's safe to go out now," Donna finally joined in, The Doctor wondering why she was so quiet for a change as she was usually in trouble or kidnapped when quiet.

"Where are we then?" Jackie asked as she covered her eyes before walking through the door. "Not bloody Norway again?" Then she turned to see where Rose was. "Rose, I'll have to call your dad to get us home."

Rose was trying to argue with The Doctor again as the clone was about to join Jackie outside. He heard his twin saying something about what if Rose wasn't left on her own.

"What do you say Rose?" she was being asked. "I think it's what you need."

"Really? After all I went through?" Rose was arguing.

"Is this about me?" the clone wanted to know. "Are you saying you want me to stay here as well?"

"I have to go back," The Doctor replied, hearing his ship complaining. "There can't be two of us there, you know that."

"What am I supposed to do?" his twin asked.

"Stay with Rose," The Doctor replied quietly as he looked at the screen to avoid the stares.

"Hang on, I'm here ya know?" Rose reminded them.

"Can't you see?" Donna asked them. "He's trying to put things right."

"More like punishing," the clone disagreed.

"So, I'm being punished as well," Rose sided with him.

"Listen, both of you," The Doctor insisted. "Rose, remember what I was like when we first met?" Rose nodded. "Well he's me, when we first met and he needs you. You can help him."

They all walked outside and Rose stood between them.

"Okay, you two. Answer me this then? When I was here before, on the worst day of my life, what did ya say to me?"

"I said 'Rose Tyler'," The Doctor answered.

"Yeah and how was that gonna end?" she wanted to know.

"Does it need saying?" The Doctor replied, looking at the sand and trying to avoid looking at her.

Yes, he still loved her but only one of them could stay and whether in this universe or the other one, he would still change because he couldn't put it off much longer. Rose still deserved to have the one she fell in love with, however much it hurt him.

"What about you, Doctor?" she asked the clone.

The new Doctor now knew what was running through his twin's mind. Yes, he wanted to go back and travel but it would never work, neither of them would have her. Yes, he was angry and a bit like his old self and Rose had made him better. He leaned forward to whisper in her ear.

"I said Rose Tyler, I love you," he spoke softly.

Rose grabbed his collar, pulled him close and they kissed. The other Doctor led Donna away, Jackie watching with interest. 

"Doctor, aren't you going to say goodbye or offer them any help?" Donna wanted to know as she shrugged him off.

"Oh. Right. Well maybe I can wish them well?" he replied.

He'd thought of giving his twin a small piece of Tardis coral, to grow his own but by his calculations, it would take almost a lifetime, which his twin only had one. Then he heard more warnings from inside the ship and knew they had to go or stay where they were. The Tardis was in no condition to work in this universe, once it was closed off from the other one.

Rose and the new Doctor had been watching.

"We really have to go now," he began to tell them, Donna having already gone inside. "Rose, look after him and look out for me. If it becomes possible, I'll come back to check on you but I may have changed."

"I know how it works," his twin assured him. "Will Donna be okay?"

"Yeah, it's a lot for her to take in but I can help her," he promised. "Bye Rose, I'm glad you came to find me."

"Bye Doctor and don't worry, it'll be easy, I already helped you," Rose smiled, taking his twin's hand.

The Doctor nodded and turned towards the Tardis, who was now screeching and Donna was calling for him but he turned back.

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he told her so she could just hear him.

With that, he dashed inside and a few seconds later, the ship still protesting, it disappeared in front of Rose and the new Doctor while Jackie stood behind them after talking to Pete, who had said to go to the hotel they'd stayed in the last time and he'd make arrangements for them to get home.

"I tell ya Pete, there's another one of himself," she'd tried to explain as Pete had asked her if Rose had found who she'd gone looking for.

Jackie knew better than to mention any names on an insecure phone call.

"Well explain it to me when you get back," Pete had told her. "I'm glad she didn't go all that way, to Norway just to come back alone and disappointed."

That was his way of saying he was glad the cannon project had worked out for Rose because he was going to scrap it, whether she'd got what she wanted or not. Well maybe he'd close it down and save it for a rainy day, he hadn't decided and didn't even know if it would ever work again. The experts had told him it was only working because they were somehow getting help from the other side.

He'd not had the heart to tell Rose though. Rose and the new Doctor followed Jackie off the beach, arm in arm to where a cab had just pulled up on the road above, Rose being helped over the last rock as Jackie had found an easier way.

"Hold on Jackie," he called out as Jackie got in the front seat, since those two seemed to be stuck like glue to each other, as usual she thought.

"Rose, I can't go back with you, it's not fair," he told her, taking both her hands.

"What?" she wanted to know, hoping her mother had her bank card with her but knowing Jackie, she'd tell the driver to charge it to Pete. "You listen to me, Doctor. You're him, he's you, of course ya coming back with us. I didn't get Pete to get those devices going for nothing so stop messin' around and get in that cab."


	2. Chapter 2

The new Doctor did as Rose suggested, allowing Rose to get in the cab first, Jackie telling the driver where they were going. Jackie had never forgotten the name of the hotel they'd stayed in the last time and had already phoned ahead to book two rooms.

As Rose got in the back, Jackie thought if she wasn't going to share with this new Doctor, he could take the other room. This was all new to them, she'd seen one change in him but this was something new – two of them looking the same was a lot to take in.

The Doctor sat quietly next to Rose, who took his hand.

"So, how does this work then?" she wanted to know. "We don't have to get to know each other all over again, do we?"

"Well, no, I suppose not?" he had to agree. "I expect it'll all be a bit strange at first?"

"You're tellin' me," Jackie laughed in agreement. "You two can stop messin' about for starters."

"Mum's right," Rose told him. "Seems ya don't have as much time as ya did before?"

"Don't remind me," he laughed nervously. "Rose, I meant what I said, back on that beach but how do you feel about it?"

"Ya know how I feel, why did ya think I went to find ya?" Rose smiled. "Nothing's changed. I spent all that time, I wasn't gonna let ya get away."

They were soon at the hotel and Jackie was booking them in, telling them to charge it to Pete as Rose had expected. Then she turned around to ask about the arrangements.

"Well you two have a lot of talking to do so ya may as well share," Jackie suggested. "Rose, you'll only be creeping in and out all the time. Remember last time we were here?" she asked them as they were given their room keys.

"Mum, we should go out and get a few things," Rose replied to save embarrassment of her mother telling the new Doctor all about her thinking she was going into labour after the long journey.

"Well you two go then?" Jackie suggested. "I'm off for a lie down before we eat, with all that messing around, I never realised what time it was."

Rose thought she did have a point, she herself had got beyond tired. They went off to find a general store, taking Jackie's credit card. The new Doctor was taking suggestions from Rose as to what he'd need for the night as he was new to all this looking after himself lark.

"So, it was Donna who touched that hand of yours?" Rose was trying to get her head around it.

"Well, yeah, it's hard to explain but I'm worried about her," he admitted. "I'm worried it was all too much for her."

"He'll look after her, won't he?" Rose replied. "I mean he won't leave her to fend for herself, will he?"

"No, of course not," he assured her. "It was a two way swap though, I might have got some of her traits."

Rose had already noticed, such as he didn't seem quite as sure of himself as he used to be and his hair had gone back to being all spiked up, which she had loved it like that but she was wondering what else he meant. They went back to the hotel and noticed Jackie was opposite them so Rose tapped on the door and handed what she bought over to her, Jackie making use of the luxurious bathrobe that had been provided.

The Doctor was pacing up and down when Rose joined him in the other room.

"Rose, before you say anything. Well I have all his memories, where we went and travelling with you but I travelled with Martha for a while and it got complicated," he admitted.

"Oh," Rose stopped as she put things on the dresser. "You mean you got involved with her? How could you?" she asked angrily, thinking she'd join her mother after all. "Well, I suppose ya had to move on after ya lost me?"

"What?" he asked in surprise. "No, I never got involved with her. I told her and she took it the wrong way. I said I wasn't looking to replace you but we went through a lot together and she kept getting the wrong idea."

"Oh. Then okay? So then ya met Donna?" Rose asked.

"Well actually, I met her then she had the sense to refuse to travel with me but we met again, after Martha left," he explained. "There's a lot to tell you."

"I bet there is," Rose tried to forgive him. "Sorry, I jumped to the wrong conclusion, it's been a long few days. I met Donna's mother and granddad. I saw ya on the laptop but they had no camera."

"I had a feeling you'd be watching," he grinned as he patted the space next to him on the bed. "I told you I got some of Donna's human traits? Rose, you know what that means? I can love you back and spend my life with you, if you want?"

Rose sat beside him and he put his arm around her.

"If I want? Yeah, of course I do Doctor. Oh, are ya keeping that name?" she wanted to know.

"Well, I got used to being called John a few times. What do you think?" he asked her. "As for a last name, maybe I should take Donna's?"

"Yeah, that'll work," Rose agreed. "So, it's John Noble then? Pete will help ya to get established when we get back. Ya could come and work with me at Torchwood, it's all good now."

"Jack took the other one and turned it around," John told her as she put her head on his shoulder. "I think he offered Martha a job."

"Looked more to me like he was flirting with her," Rose managed to smile.

"Rose, I swear there was nothing between me and Martha. I turned her down and she still saved me several times," he recalled.

Rose looked up at him and put her free hand on his cheek.

"I missed you so much. I never even thought you'd make friends with anyone else."

"It just happened, that's all. I was still upset from losing you, Martha knew that but she still ignored it. I believe she thought she could snap me out of it," John explained.

Suddenly, Rose pulled him around and went to kiss him. John responded and they kissed again, making Rose smile.

"So, we're good then?" she asked him.

John smiled back.

"Yeah, we're good. I have to get used to this being Human thing, that's all and your relationships. I'm sure you can teach me?"

"Yeah, we'll take it easy for a while, so ya can get used to it," Rose suggested.

"Ah, then tell me why my heart is beating twice as fast as it should then?" he grinned.

"Maybe you were used to having two?" Rose wondered.

"That's probably it. Well that and you kissing me," he teased her. "Blimey, I thought about that for quite a while after I lost you, that I should have at least kissed you."

"Until you called me that time and we came up here, I thought you were never gonna contact me," Rose replied.

"Sorry it took so long then," he apologised. "Think I'll have a nap for a while, what about you?"

Rose snuggled up to him after he got up to get a blanket from the wardrobe, Rose saying they could rely on her mother waking them for the evening meal. They closed their eyes and Rose put her hand on his single heart, feeling he was right about it beating fast but she supposed it was to be expected.

John had closed his eyes, a million things running through his mind. He could now have a proper relationship with the woman he'd loved since he first met her and could promise her a lifetime without outlasting her by hundreds of years and having to live without her for so long.

How had the other him not even bothered to make something of it while they'd been together? Well the guilt was gone and maybe being here wouldn't be so bad? He was worried about something else but he put it to the back of his mind. It was just his body getting used to being normal, he convinced himself as he held on to Rose.

"John, try to slow your heartbeat down," she suggested. "Maybe when we get back you should get a check-up?"

"Maybe I will? I mean if I go to work with you?" he told her as he buried his face in her hair, which was now longer and had been styled differently but was beginning to fall all over the pillow.

All too soon, Jackie knocked on the door and told them it was time to eat.

"So how are you two getting on?" Jackie wanted to know.

"Fine Mum. Can I use your phone to call dad?" Rose asked. "I need to ask him a few things."

Once back in their room, Rose called Pete but still couldn't say much about John being The Doctor's twin.

"He's changed a bit," Rose admitted. "I think he could do with seeing Doctor Harper."

Owen Harper was the chief medical officer for Torchwood and all the female staff's nightmare and they all wished he'd settle down with his girlfriend Lucy. Luckily for Rose, he'd never dared try it on with her, he liked his job too much to have Pete down on him like a ton of bricks.

"Well, get him back here and I'll arrange it," Pete agreed. "I am glad you didn't go all that way and came back disappointed. You'll have to tell me how much he's changed."

"It's been a long time Dad," Rose replied. "Anyway, we're all a bit tired, some more than others," she laughed at John stifling a yawn.

John offered a weak smile at her comment but he was feeling tired, something that had been rare for him before. He wished he'd had more time to find out how things were going to be for him now he really was half Human. He never thought about his past before 'borrowing' a time machine that had got stuck in the shape of a blue police phone box.

Rose finished the call to Pete and said she was going to take a nice relaxing bath after being tossed around looking for him. Then she thought about John.

"Why don't you go first or at least get a shower?" Rose suggested.

"I'm fine, really," John insisted. "You go ahead, I'll just watch some TV."

A few hours later, they got into bed and Rose was wrapped in his arms. John knew she was expecting him to make a start so he began kissing her shoulder and neck and got her to lie on him. He moved suddenly, making Rose jump.

"What's wrong?" she wondered.

"Sorry. Come back here," he replied, not wanting to let on that he was feeling the effects of growing out of his twin's hand.

"John, ya can't keep things to yourself all the time like ya used to do," she reminded him. "If something's wrong, ya have to say."

"Rose, you will be the first to know, after me," he replied, trying to get her to change the subject.

"Well just make sure ya do. Do ya really need that t-shirt on?" she teased him. 

"Well now you mention it?" he teased back. "You may have to keep me warm though."

"I can do that," Rose told him as she helped him.

The next morning, they just managed to get up before Jackie knocked on the door to remind them they had to get going.

"Come on you two," she told them as John answered the door as Rose finished in the bathroom. "If we miss that zeppelin, Pete won't be happy. He had to get us first class tickets to get us on it."

"I'm surprised you didn't get him to send a helicopter," John quipped as he let her in.

"Oi, don't be cheeky," Jackie warned him, seeing the unmade bed. "Thought you didn't sleep apart from that Christmas?"

"Well things are different now Jackie," he began to tell her until he was rescued by Rose, who had heard her mother's voice.

"Mum, give him chance to get used to things again," Rose replied to her.

"Well I've just been talking to your father, he left us tickets at the terminal, the flight's at eleven fifteen and we have an hour's journey to the port, the cab will be outside at quarter to ten so get a move on," Jackie told them.

John wondered if he was going to have to get used to a more organised Jackie, which would take some doing. After a quick breakfast, they went to get what they'd purchased the day before, Rose handing Jackie's phone back after being reminded the call to Pete had been made on the hotel's phone.

They got into the waiting cab, John closing his eyes since he wasn't used to travelling by car. Back in London, Pete had got young Tony off to nursery school, the boy asking when his mother and Rose would be back.

"They'll be here when you get home from nursery, or just after," Pete promised. "Rose is bringing a friend back with her."

"What about uncle Mickey?" Tony wanted to know as Pete strapped him in his car seat.

How was he going to explain to a small child that Mickey wasn't coming back? From what Jackie had said, Mickey had finally realised Rose was never going back to him and was moving on.

"Well Tony, uncle Mickey might be staying away for a while longer. Uncle Jake will still see you though," Pete tried to explain.

Tony seemed satisfied so Pete drove off, hoping the zeppelin flight wouldn't be delayed or they'd miss it somehow. When Jackie had called back, he'd been lucky to get them all on the same flight or he would have had to make other arrangements. Now he wished they'd hurry getting more planes into service to get away from the slow alternative but he supposed there was something about flying by zeppelin.

He'd taken Jackie on a romantic flight for their honeymoon, reserving a state room for champagne and fancy food on the way as opposed to a large commercial plane on a long-haul flight.

Rose and John were talking quietly in the back of the cab on the way to the zeppelin port.

"What about passport control?" John asked worriedly.

"Well me and mum didn't exactly have chance to grab ours before we came looking for you," Rose told him. "Pete will have made arrangements."

"Yeah, Jake will be there to meet us," Jackie half turned to tell him. "Don't worry about it."

After Pete's call the day before, Jake had been busy issuing an emergency passport for John when Jackie had told Pete what name he'd chosen. Then he'd sent digital copies of Rose and Jackie's passports that were held on file and added John's. He was now looking forward to meeting The Doctor's twin or whatever he was classed as, Pete didn't have all the details.

Pete got to work and stopped by Jake's office.

"So, any more details?" Jake was dying to know.

"Not much, you know Jackie," Pete laughed. "Did you get everything done?"

"Yeah, no worries," Jake replied. "I'll go and pick them up, I want to see how different The Doctor is."

"I don't think he wants to be called that," Pete reminded him.

"Don't blame him then," Jake agreed. "Well that was unexpected anyway."

"Jackie said no-one was more surprised than The Doctor himself," Pete told him. "I'm still waiting to get all the details but Rose mentioned he was feeling a bit off, must be all the changes he went through? Get on to Owen and tell him to expect John but keep a hush on it. Just tell him enough."

"Yeah, okay, I'll do it before I leave," Jake promised. "How was Tony?"

"Wanting to know about Mickey," Pete replied. "What am I going to tell him Jake?"

"He might be too busy wondering who Rose brought back with her," Jake laughed.

"Well it might hold him off for a bit but they spent a lot of time together when Mickey and Rose used to babysit," Pete recalled.

Pete went off to his office and Jake thought it would be best to visit Owen in person.

"Not often you come down here," Owen noted.

"Well this is something different, it's top secret for now," Jake told him. "Remember who Rose was going to find?"

"Of course I do, that's what the project was about, wasn't it?" Owen replied. "Pete might have put it out that wasn't the only reason why obsolete Cyberman technology was being put back together."

"Well if it had worked for them, Rose and the others wouldn't be here. Good thing they were too impatient to wait," Jake told him. "Enough of that. Rose has brought someone back with her."

"So she found him then?" Owen guessed.

"Not exactly, that's why it's top secret. Something happened and The Doctor had found a hand of his that had been cut off years ago. Pete didn't say much but another person grew out of it."

Owen looked up in interest.

"Well that's more like it, you know I love a challenge," he laughed. "An exact copy?"

"No, not exactly from what Rose told Pete. There's a few changes and it seems Rose is concerned," Jake revealed.

"Well have him come in when he's got settled then," Owen insisted. "I might bring my new assistant medical officer in on this, see what she makes of it. Don't worry, I'll have her sign a non-disclosure form before she gets to know anything."

"Well just her then, unless it's necessary," Jake agreed. "Pete said Rose was very concerned about him."


End file.
